


Five Times Timmy "Borrowed" Armie's Clothes and The One Time Armie Noticed It

by adhoori



Category: Call Me By Your Name (2017) RPF
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Minor Angst, Oblivious Timmy, Sharing Clothes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-03-04 06:22:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13358355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adhoori/pseuds/adhoori
Summary: Armie knocked on the door and he opened it, taking the t-shirt from him. He glanced at Armie, who was looking at him slightly wide-eyed, with an intensity that made him want to squirm. If he didn’t know any better, he’d go as far as saying he waschecking him out, but he couldn’t possibly be doing that, so he went for the next best explanation.“What? Do I still have some on me?” he questioned, looking down at himself.He was puzzled further when Armie looked startled and mumbled ano you got everythingbefore practically hightailing it out of there.What the fuck?For the anon who prompted a fluffy Timmy stealing Armie's clothes fic!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm already done with quite a bit of this so it won't take too long to update. I wanted to get this out in parts because the chapter lengths are inconsistent. I hope you like it! <3

Timmy gasped in outrage, “No! You take that back!”

“Nope. Superman is better.”

He rolled his eyes at Armie’s,  ~~_attractive_ ~~ _ stupid _ , smug grin. “Absolutely not. It’s Batman, dude! There’s just no way!”

“It’s Superman. There’s  _ literally  _ nothing he can’t do.”

“But Batman! The backstory! The- the character development!” he sputtered, baffled at how Armie could possibly like Superman more. 

They’d finished shooting early and decided to have a DC movie night, following the Marvel one from last week and pretty much like the last one, they had polar opposite opinions on  _ everything _ . 

“Well, Superman dies at the end, so there,” Timmy said petulantly, taking a swig of his beer. 

“Please. He’s going to be in Justice League, everyone knows that.”

He mock-glared at Armie, who grabbed their plates and started rinsing them. Timmy grabbed the empty beer bottles and joined him in the kitchen. They moved around each other, cleaning up the remnants of their dinner and putting leftovers in the fridge. He liked these nights. They’d watch movies, sometimes the classic serious ones, sometimes just superheroes and always end up having a discussion. He hadn’t met Armie before and he took great joy in getting to know things about him and even greater joy in getting a rise out of him, which at this point was almost  _ too  _ easy.

“C’mon, let me do the rest, I’ll load them in the dishwasher,” he offered, and then promptly hip-checked Armie, shoving him aside playfully. 

“Very mature,” he said, laughing when Armie flung the suds at him. “I’m helping you here and this is the thanks I get.”

“You know me, I’m a very mature person.”

Timmy rolled his eyes, smiled and took the paper towel he was offered, after loading the dishes.

They drifted back to the living room nursing another beer. He curled up on the couch, his back against the armrest, his legs crossed. Armie sat opposite him, one foot tucked under the other thigh, relaxed, casual. They went over their lines for the next couple of scenes with a few off-topic discussions, managing to finish the beer in the meantime. By the time they were done, he was pleasantly buzzed, feeling warm and light. His knee bumped with Armie’s and he realized Armie had unknowingly moved closer to him while rehearsing and was now looking at him with an unreadable expression. 

_ This keeps happening _ , he thought. Over the last couple of days, ever so often he’d catch Armie looking at him and for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what it meant. He sneaked a quick glance at his watch and cleared his throat awkwardly.

“It’s uh- it’s getting kinda late, I should go.”

He watched, puzzled at how startled Armie looked before he acquiesced and walked him to the door.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” he asked, grabbing his sweater from where he’d hung it.

He saw how Armie seemed to lean forward and then proceeded to straighten himself, smiled, wished him a good night, and shut the door.

_ Weird. Maybe something’s going on at home _ , he thought. It wasn’t until a few steps later when he put the sweater on and it was entirely too big for him, he realized he’d taken Armie’s.

_ I guess I’ll just give it back later _ .


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like it! Sorry it's so short lmao. Chapter 3 will be out on Monday probably :)

They were at Armie’s house for a change, Luca and him. Having gone over the scenes for tomorrow, they’d moved on to talking about other things, with copious amounts of wine involved. Timmy took another sip of the wine and just as he was about to put his glass back on the table Armie flopped on the couch, causing him to shake and spill almost all his wine on himself.

“Fuck!”, he exclaimed and scrambled out of the couch hastily so as to not get any wine on it.

“Shit, I’m so sorry, I-I didn’t realize-”

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it, I’m just going to go clean this up.”

“Of course, yeah, I’ll bring a spare t-shirt.”

He walked past Luca into the bathroom and cleaned himself up, shrugging out of the wet t-shirt.

Armie knocked on the door and he opened it, taking the t-shirt from him. He glanced at Armie, who was looking at him slightly wide-eyed, with an intensity that made him want to squirm. If he didn’t know any better, he’d go as far as saying he was  _ checking him out _ , but he couldn’t possibly be doing that, so he went for the next best explanation.

“What? Do I still have some on me?” he questioned, looking down at himself.

He was puzzled further when Armie looked startled and mumbled a  _ no you got everything _ before practically hightailing it out of there.

_ What the fuck? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 is like 1.8k so I'm sorry for the short ones so far lol. Leave a comment/kudos, if you liked it! I'm on tumblr at adhoori.tumblr.com come flail with me about these dorks lol <3 <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 3, as promised. I hope you guys like it! Thank you for all the feedback so far <3

It was going to be one of those days. He’d woken up anxious and jittery, hadn’t got enough sleep the night before, felt vaguely pissed off at most things and somehow everything just felt  _ off _ . He refrained from having his morning coffee, on days like this it made him even more anxious and went for fruit instead. Thankfully, his schedule wasn’t too tight today and he ventured out to the set in a hurry, not wanting to be late.

He got changed and was going over his lines when he saw Armie arrive on set and into the changing room, coming to halt in front of him.

“I thought you said we were going together?”

He looked up distractedly, “What?”

“You said yesterday we’d walk over together after doing a read through at my place? I was waiting for you.”

Armie had looked genuinely concerned and he’d immediately felt contrite. He’d completely forgotten about it, and he was the one who’d asked for it too.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, really. It’s just-It’s been a day.” he admitted, running his hand through his hair.

He almost felt  _ more _ guilty at how quickly Armie’s nodded and his smile dissolved into one of understanding, eyes instantly softening at how quiet Timmy had sounded.

They had a short while before they were due and Armie had just finished changing into costume while Timmy read through the last of his lines for that scene.

“You ready?” he asked, when Armie looked about done and was just straightening his collar.

“Almost,” he heard Armie say, before he walked up to Timmy.

“Are you going to be okay out there?”

He tried to smile convincingly, “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry, I won’t ruin the scene.” he said, aiming for levity but falling flat.

“You know that’s not why I’m asking, right?”

“Yeah, thanks, I’m going to be okay, I uh- I get like this sometimes, it’s not a big deal.” 

“Do you mind if I ask you something?”

“You know I don’t,” he answered, smiling absently, thumbing through the script in a nervous gesture.

“Can I give you a hug?”

He looked up at Armie, brows furrowed, trying to figure out where this was going, but Armie just stood in front of him, waiting patiently, his face soft and unguarded and to be honest, he could  _ really _ use a hug a right now.

“Okay?” he mumbled, sounding more like a question. Before he knew it, Armie had wrapped him in a warm hug, one hand squeezing the nape of his neck. He could feel it, a few seconds later when his body lost some of the tension he’d been carrying since that morning and it almost felt like it was over too soon when Armie stepped back, smiling kindly.

“I needed that, thanks,” he disclosed, surprised by his own candor.

Armie smiled at him then, warm and crinkly-eyed and he felt strangely out of breath.  _ La muvi star, _ he thought and smiled wryly before heading out after Armie. He still felt off balance, unsure and not his usual self, but some of the edge had been taken off and for that, he was grateful.

They’d been shooting in the pool when the sunlight disappeared and it started pouring. Timmy saw Luca huff in frustration, the rain had been bothering their schedule for a while now and now it seemed like they wouldn’t be able to shoot the second scene they’d planned for the day.

He hurried out of the pool, Armie trailing behind him, while someone brought them their robes. The shoot was cancelled by an irritated Luca and the cast and crew ambled away to their apartments, disappointed. They walked back in silence, Armie texting while Timmy strolled in amity, thinking about what he’d do with the free time. Some of his anxiety had faded but he still felt tired and drained,  filled with a bone-deep weariness that he was familiar with, after one of these days. He didn’t feel like sleeping, that would just mess up his sleep schedule so he figured he’d watch some tv, maybe call Pauline, it’d been a few days.

“You okay?”

He snapped his head up having been yanked out of this thoughts, and realized they were almost home. He glanced at Armie and nodded, “Yeah, just thinking about what to do.”

“We could watch a movie if you want.”

He must’ve toyed with the suggestion for a little too long, he realized, as Armie backtracked. “Or not. I mean, I know it’s been a long day for you, it’s okay.”

“Oh no, um, sorry I just-I got lost. I’d like that,” he finished, sheepishly.

Armie huffed out a laugh and responded with an  _ okay _ as they made their way to his apartment.

He stepped into Armie’s apartment instantly feeling warmer, when he realized he’d forgotten his clothes back in wardrobe and fitting while he’d changed into costume. Now all he was wearing were swimming trunks under the fluffy robe. He decided he’d head back to his apartment to change.

“I forgot my clothes back there, I’m just going to change and come back,” he told Armie.

Armie looked thrown for a moment before he responded with an almost too casual, “I mean I have sweatpants if that’s okay.”

_ But I literally live next door? _ he thought, puzzled at Armie’s response and how his face had flushed right after.  _ What the fuck is happening? _

He looked at Armie, who was still a little red in the face. “Okay, um-sure,” he consented, still not sure what had just transpired.

He watched dumbly as Armie mumbled a response and left to fetch the sweatpants. He couldn’t figure out what kept happening. Had he said something? Was that why it got awkward sometimes? Were they hanging out too much? Did he want him to leave? _ He’s the one who asked you to stay _ , his brain supplied, unhelpfully.  Before he knew it, Armie handed him a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. He took them and headed for the bathroom, grateful for the hoodie; it’d become chilly since it had begun raining.

 

Timmy stepped out to the smell of food. Armie’s clothes hung slightly loose on his smaller frame but were comfortable nonetheless. He made his way to the kitchen, suddenly starving after realizing all he’d had that day was fruit for breakfast.

“Are you cooking?” he asked, inadvertently startling Armie, who’d changed into a similar pair of sweats and a t-shirt.

“Sorry, I thought you might’ve heard me coming,” he apologized, grinning at how Armie had almost dropped the ladle. He propped himself up on the countertop, and watched Armie cook.

“It’s just soup.”

Timmy smiled back at him and watched him chop vegetables in amiable silence. He loved how easy Armie was to talk to but also loved how he didn’t always feel the need to talk, he could just  _ be _ .

“Smells good,” he murmured after a while, when the soup was simmering and saw Armie quirk his lips in response.

“Yeah? I’m glad.”

He glanced at Armie who was scrolling through something on his phone. The apartment was silent, the only sounds coming from the rain pelting against the window and the occasional sound from Armie’s phone. 

“Thank you,” he said, breaking the silence. “For today, for this,” he added gratefully.

He received a soft  _ anytime _ in response, before Armie turned the heat off and tasted the soup. Timmy felt something warm unfurl in his chest at Armie’s easy acceptance. He looked at Armie,  _ really looked _ , as he busied himself in the kitchen, bringing out the bowls and felt the unmistakable urge to pad across the kitchen, hold his face and kiss him senseless till the world around them faded away. He felt like he should be more surprised by this revelation but it felt like it was long overdue, like he’d finally reached somewhere he’d been heading towards for as long as he could remember. 

“Still up for a movie?”

“Yeah,” he said, only half paying attention to the question while his heart felt like it was going to beat right out of his chest.

“Are you sure you’re okay? We don’t  _ have  _ to do this.”

He winced internally at how worried Armie sounded, instantly feeling remorse.  _ Get it together _ , he thought to himself.

“Oh no, I want to!” he exclaimed, willing himself to look Armie in the eyes without going red in the face. This wasn’t a good time to freak out about his untimely realization, he could save that for later. In the privacy of his own room. Where Armie wouldn’t find out about his feelings.  _ This is probably the only rule about acting. Don’t develop feelings for your very nice, very married co-star. No matter how hot they are, _ he thought, cursing himself, even as they settled down on the couch, sides almost touching as he tried to focus on the movie without constantly thinking about how if he’d move an  _ inch _ to his right, he’d be touching Armie.

 

They were halfway through the movie when Timmy’s eyes started shutting of their own accord. He was comfortably warm and at some point Armie had moved closer while slouching further down the couch, and rested his head on Timmy’s shoulders, proceeding to watch the rest of the movie with half-lid, drowsy eyes, eventually falling asleep. He’d figured out early on that Armie was a tactile person, not that he minded in the least, but this close he was acutely aware of how soft Armie’s hair was, the early signs of stubble, the way his chest rose and fell with each breath, how vulnerable he looked without any of that practised confidence or that absurdly charming, roguish grin he’d perfected over the years. 

He lodged his hand and rested it behind Armie’s neck, trying not to wake him up. This, he could do. They’d come to terms with how their physical intimacy extended beyond the set, a long time ago. He knew they weren’t this forthcoming with physical affection all the time, but half-asleep, halfway through a movie with full stomachs, often found them just a little bit lazier, a little less inclined to move away, a little less reticent.

_ I can figure this out later, _ he thought, as he gave in to the urge to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment/kudos if you liked it; feedback is always welcome! Hopefully, this long-ish chapter made up for the short ones so far haha. I'm on tumblr at adhoori.tumblr.com if y'all want to join me in flailing <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm lowkey in love w/ Pauline Chalamet. This has been a PSA.

“It’s not funny!” he insisted, only to elicit more laughter from Pauline.

“It’s a  _ little _ funny,”

Timmy rolled his eyes at her, “I hate you so much.” 

“No you don’t, loser,” and he cracked a smile at that, shaking his head. He missed her terribly and was instantly reminded of how facetime didn’t do justice to her.

“For real though. How are you holding up?”

He shrugged, not knowing what to say. They’d always been close and he had finally decided to tell her about his feelings for Armie, needing to talk to  _ someone  _ about it.

“You know this can’t go anywhere, right?”

“God, I’m not a  _ child _ ! I know that!” he argued, hating how her voice had gone soft, coaxing, as if he was something breakable.

“Don’t be an asshole, you know I didn’t mean it like that.”

He nodded, chagrined. “I know, it’s just-I don’t know how to act around him anymore. I’m always like-like hyper-aware of everything I’m doing and it’s so frustrating!”

“You’re probably fine, you know. Don’t overthink it.”

He let out a long breath and stretched his legs out. “Yeah, you’re right. Obviously, I’m confusing real life with the film and this will go away once I’m done filming. Right?”

“Riiight.”

He huffed out a laugh at her tone. “You could try and sound more convincing,” he shot back, making her grin.

“I just mean- you sound like you really like him. And honestly? I wish this was something that could work out. I want just you to be happy.”

He bit his lip, collecting his thoughts. “It’s not- I mean, I  _ am _ happy. Unrequited feelings aside, things are great, really! I just have to get over this, you know? I’ll be fine,” he said, aiming for nonchalance. He didn’t want her to worry or god forbid, tell his  _ mom _ .

He received an  _ okay _ and was grateful to her for not taking this further. They spoke for a while before she had somewhere to be and he felt lighter; like he could manage this, and hopefully come out of it unscathed.

 

It was almost eleven, but he’d had an espresso at Luca’s after dinner and sleep had eluded him thus far. He grabbed his guitar and phone before heading out downstairs; if he wasn’t going to sleep he might as well be productive. The patio at the back opened into a small garden and he pulled a chair for himself, getting comfortable. He propped his phone up so he could see the chords and started playing softly. It was next morning’s piece but a little extra practice never hurt and soon, he lost himself in trying to get it right.

He knew his feelings for Armie would never amount to anything, and he tried to dismiss them by telling himself that he was probably just projecting. But it never worked, because he knew it wasn’t true; he liked Armie, _really_ liked him. The fact that he might’ve been one of the nicest people he’d met in his entire _life_ , wasn’t helping. Now that he’d come to a realization, it was like a floodgate had been opened and all he could think about when they talked, or ate dinner, or watched a movie, or even _rehearsed_ , was a litany of _I like him, I like him, I like him_. 

He broke off with a loud twang of his guitar when he registered that he’d picked up tempo and by way of it, volume. He began playing something softer, easier, one of the first pieces he’d taught himself. It reminded him of summers in New York, of visiting his grandmother, of hot mornings playing football in France, of the feeling that he got when they came up with new rap verses for Lil Timmy Tim, all of which seemed like a lifetime away now. It felt like a different  _ life _ , he felt like a completely different person. He exhaled purposefully as he started leaning into the final cadence. He wished the notes would flow more naturally, more organically, without any of the careful hesitance that always seemed to underscore his music even if he played it right. Little things like this often worried him, which is why more often than not he ended up practicing when he couldn’t sleep.

“Is that part of the movie?”

Timmy nearly dropped his guitar in surprise. “Jesus! Warn a guy, man!” he blurted out. It was a testament to how quiet it was, when his exclamation pierced the silence, making it sound like he’d shouted. He smiled, abashed, and gestured Armie to join him, turning his chair a little. Armie’s footsteps caused the wooden patio to creak and as he stepped into the dim orange glow of the single light he’d switched on, Timmy could see he was still dressed in his outfit from dinner.

“Yeah no, it’s just something I taught myself,” he echoed, belatedly.

Armie nodded and extended his legs on the railing, the embodiment of relaxation.

“Can’t sleep?” Timmy asked him, running his fingers over the strings lightly, grounding himself to the feeling of the strings against the barely-there calluses on his fingers.

Armie gave him a soft _hmm_ and didn’t continue. He didn’t either, settling down instead, to play _Mystery of Love_ , a little side project of his. It was one of the less complicated songs he’d picked up, but he liked the soft, lilting, uplifting notes. 

“Mystery of love, right? That was really good,” Armie murmured when he’d finished.

“It’s a pretty easy song,”  he pointed out, shrugging.

“You always do that,” he heard Armie say, his brows furrowed.

“Do what?”

“Downplay everything. You’re one of the most exceptional actors I’ve seen not to mention one of the smartest  _ people _ ,” Armie said, and Timmy was surprised by the earnest,  _ serious _ look Armie was giving him.

He flushed and gave him a nervous grin, not knowing what to say to that. He could barely function around Armie as is, but a serious, earnest Armie telling him he was  _ exceptional _ ? He didn’t stand a chance. His body gave an involuntary shiver as he realized it had gotten pretty late, the air around him crisp instead of pleasantly warm.

“Are you cold?”

“What? No, I’m okay. Didn’t realize how late it’s become, is all.”

“Here, take my jacket,” Armie said, shrugging off his jacket as he spoke.

“I’m fi-”

“Take it,” he insisted, fondly, but leaving no room for an argument. “Don’t want you falling sick, do we?”

“Guess not,” he mumbled, slipping his arms through the sleeves and  _ oh _ . The jacket smelled like Armie, like the citrus-pine scent that he could ever place, mixed with his cologne. He was acutely aware of Armie’s eyes on him and resisted the completely insane urge to take a deep breath. _ Stop it _ , he chastised himself.

“Any requests?” he joked, picking up the guitar again, trying to play it cool.

Armie cleared his throat and looked like he needed a moment to collect himself before he spoke, eyes sparkling, smiling playfully, “How about, the guitar solo from Stairway to Heaven?”

Timmy rolled his eyes, “Asshole. You know I don’t know how to play that,” he snorted. Armie threw his head back in a laugh and all he could think of was  _ please let this never end _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this! Leave a comment/kudos if you did, feedback is always welcome <3 I'm on tumblr at adhoori.tumblr.com join me in fangirling over these dorks lol
> 
> Oh and I'm kinda busy with grad school so it's taking a while for me to get fics out, thank you for being patient <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait you guys! It's been a stressful couple of weeks, but my schedule should be getting better soon. I also have like 2-3 fics on tumblr that aren't on AO3 but I'll be posting them soon! This chapter is the "Minor Angst" portion of this fic lol And major thanks to @isitandwonder and @lookingforatardis for the mixed up laundry idea <3 <3

He excused himself from the table and strolled towards the other end of the balcony till all he could hear was a faint hum of the half English, half Italian conversation and gave out a sharp exhale, curling his fingers around the concrete parapet. It’d been a long day on set and he felt like he was in a wine induced, sleep-addled fog, like he could fall asleep right here, curled up on one of the long chairs. Rubbing his eyes, he settled down on a chair, his feet tucked close to his chest as he checked his messages aimlessly.

He looked at Armie, who seemed like he was listening attentively to something Luca was saying and wondered childishly if he’d even noticed that Timmy had gone and the chair beside him was empty.  _ Don’t be stupid, _ he censured himself, not wanting to go there. His feelings for Armie had only grown and sometimes he couldn’t believe he’d let himself do that, fall for someone so unattainable. He felt the familiar ache in his chest and pressed his palm there, trying to calm himself, having come to recognize this as a starting sign of his anxiety. He’d had days when the ache seemed to spread outwards, his stomach in knots with nerves while his body felt heavy as if there was a boulder at his center of gravity and he couldn’t move, couldn’t think.

He rubbed circles against his collarbone absently, while he continued scrolling through Instagram, only half paying attention. The scrape of the other chair being dragged across the floor distracted him and his eyes snapped up to see Armie settle down beside him, and Esther walking towards him. She kissed him on the cheek fleetingly before doing the same to Armie and wished them a good night as she left. The rest of them were laughing at something, wine glasses almost empty, just in time for Luca to refill them. He leaned back in the chair and turned to find Armie looking at him, eyes unreadable, lips curved into an almost-smile.

“What?” he asked, self consciously, surprised to find his voice a little hoarse and he cleared his throat.

“Nothing,” Armie replied, easily, stretching his legs out in front of him.

He was aware of how they looked like a lesson in contradictions, him with his knees bent a little too close to his chest to look relaxed, and Armie with his body stretched out, filling the chair, the top button of his shirt undone, his hair unkempt. 

He didn’t respond, choosing instead, to go back to his phone. At times like these, he was too unsure to say anything and it felt like a good idea to shut up before he embarrassed himself. He glanced surreptitiously at Armie who’d taken to looking at the sky through half-lidded eyes and pocketed his phone.

“Wanna get out of here?” he asked hesitantly, turning himself towards Armie.

“And go home?”

He shrugged, leaving it up to Armie, who got up in one swift motion and held out his hand. Timmy grabbed it, pulled himself up and they walked towards the table to say their goodbyes before making their way downstairs in amicable silence, Armie walking slightly ahead as if to punctuate just how out of reach he was.

He frowned, puzzled when Armie didn’t walk towards their bikes. “Where are we going?”

“You mind walking back? We can always get these tomorrow.”

He nodded and lengthened his strides to catch up with Armie. It’d been a hot, humid day but the nights were always slightly cooler after it rained and Timmy enjoyed the respite from the heat. His hand brushed Armie’s innocuously but it made him clench his hand into a fist, hating how  _ aware _ he was every time Armie touched him harmlessly, fondly, as you would a friend.

“You’ve been quiet today.”

Startled, he snapped his neck up to meet Armie’s eyes, shrugging, aiming for casual and nonchalant but coming off as jittery more than anything else.

“Is everything okay?” Armie asked him, and he hated the doubt in Armie’s voice as if it was  _ Armie’s fault  _ and god, he felt like an asshole. He’d been trying to distance himself emotionally, just a little, hoping Armie wouldn’t notice, hoping he’d be able to survive this, whatever  _ this _ was. 

“Uh, yeah. Everything’s fine,” he commented and knew instantly he hadn’t fooled Armie judging by the hurt that flashed in his eyes before Armie schooled his face into a smile that wasn’t quite there.

“Okay,” he acknowledged, but didn’t continue and Timmy felt hollow, the pit in his stomach intensifying.

_ You’ve ruined it _ , he thought, hands clenched into fists. He forced himself to unclench them, leaving behind crescents where his nails had dug into his palm.

They continued to walk and he stole glances at Armie who looked ahead, the silence between them palpable. He felt the anxiety rolling off him in waves, suddenly feeling like he’d overstepped, or slipped up and ruined something that could’ve been a friendship they might have carried forward after the movie was over. He could see from the corner of his eyes that the apartments were just around the corner. Armie hadn’t said anything to him, the rest of the way and neither had he. 

He felt a painful twinge in his chest at the thought of losing his friendship with Armie. They’d probably finish shooting, do promotions, answer the same questions endlessly and then part their ways only to occasionally run into each other and do the cursory  _ hey man, how’ve you been _ dance before never seeing each other for months on end. It felt like someone kicked him in the solar plexus and he took in a deep breath as if to alleviate the phantom pain. No more movie nights, no more film masterclasses as he fondly called them, no more long dinners in Luca’s apartment, no more quiet mornings when he woke up sprawled on Armie’s couch, no more  _ Armie _ .

The thought hit him like a freight train and he strode to a sudden halt and looked around to realize they were right outside his apartment.

“Hey, Timmy are you okay?” 

He heard Armie say it, but sounded like a distant voice, somewhere far away from the fugue-like state he was in. He snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder and looked up to meet Armie’s questioning gaze.

“I just, I-”

He must have sounded edgier than he thought because Armie was holding him by his shoulders, having moved closer, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

“Hey, hey, whatever it is? It’s going to be okay, I promise. Do you want to talk about it?”

“I, uh- no,” he blurted, not knowing how else to articulate what he was feeling. He figured  _ I’m in love with you _ wouldn’t go over well.

“Um, do you want- I mean you could talk to Luca, I’m sure-”

He watched Armie swallow, adam’s apple bobbing and he realized Armie thought he didn’t want to speak to  _ him _ and he shook his head before Armie could finish.

“I’ll be fine,” he faltered and winced internally at not sounding convincing, not even to himself.

“Okay, I just- yeah, okay,” he heard Armie relent, arms falling to his sides, as he put distance between them, his face crumpling into a rueful smile awash with hurt and that was it. He couldn’t, he absolutely  _ couldn’t _ let Armie think this was somehow his doing, that he’d done something to make Timmy not talk to him. He’d rather have him  _ know _ , he’d lose the friendship either way.

They stood there, awkward and unsure before Timmy made up his mind and closed the distance between them, pausing to look at Armie who was looking at him wide-eyed. He licked his lips in a nervous gesture and saw Armie’s eyes flit towards them. For one  _ insane  _ second, he felt confident, as he cupped Armie’s face and kissed him softly, tentatively, before reality crashed around him and he realized Armie was frozen. He jerked backward, feeling like an asshole, clearly, he’d misread the situation. His palms felt clammy and he felt like he was going to throw up any minute. 

He took a couple of steps backward, heart racing in embarrassment.

“I- I'm so sorry, this was a mistake,” he croaked before reaching for his keys, walking into the apartment and shutting the door behind him, blocking out Armie’s _Timmy, wait!_ He couldn’t, not _now_ , not after he’d stupidly thought for a moment Armie was going to _kiss him_ _back_. He flung his keys on his desk and stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do with himself. He rubbed the heels of his palms against his stinging eyes, feeling stupid and embarrassed but most of all, feeling an inordinate amount of hurt despite having prepared himself for this exact outcome.

He decided to get changed and just sleep over it. It was late and there was nothing he could do about it tonight, anyway. He made his way to the fresh load of clothes that had come back from the laundry and looked for his pajamas. He grabbed sweatpants without much thought, swallowing around the lump in his throat. He reached to grab a t-shirt, only to find one of Armie’s t-shirts mixed up with his and impulsively snatched that one from the pile.

The water felt good on his face as he washed up. He moved to his bed listlessly, getting a water bottle on his way, before lying under the blanket, eyes clenched shut as he tried to stop replaying what had just happened. 

He wasn’t sure how he’d face Armie tomorrow, wasn’t sure if he’d ever get another takeout and movie night and he couldn’t help but feel hurt because he wasn’t ready. He wasn’t ready to give all that up yet. He fell into a fitful sleep eventually, his head hurting and the pit of his stomach heavy with guilt, trying to convince himself that Armie wouldn’t hate him the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment/kudos if you liked it!! This will 100000% have a happy ending because I can't do angst to save my life lmao. Come fangirl with me on [tumblr](http://adhoori.tumblr.com/) :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a billion years, but I've been struggling with my anxiety and its the last semester of grad school so it's been hard to focus on writing. Thank you for being so patient <3 I did write two short fics in between, they're up on AO3 if you want to check them out!

Timmy sunk down in the beanbag and clenched his eyes shut. The past few days had left him feeling exhausted, tired in a way that had nothing to do with how much they’d been shooting, and he hadn’t slept well last night. He and Armie steadfastly never spoke about what he’d done, but they also didn’t hangout anymore except at Luca’s, with everyone. He missed having the movie nights, missed kicking back at Armie’s with a couple of beers after the shoot, missed biking to the duomo just in time to catch the sunset and have an espresso, missed their  _ friendship _ .

He hadn’t realized just how much he hung out with Armie till they stopped. They were perfectly friendly but there was an undercurrent of  _ wrong, wrong, wrong _ that buzzed under his skin every time he saw how the smiles never quite reached Armie’s eyes, or how Armie’s hand would hover a second more before touching him, as if he couldn’t do it anymore. He let out a long breath, and tried to convince himself they were going to be okay, but he couldn’t, because of how acutely aware he was of the fact that he’d managed to fuck it up. He was sure even Luca had noticed, he was too perceptive not to have and he was sure Luca was going to bring it up if it continued much longer.

Timmy looked at his watch and got up, he needed to leave if he was going to make it in time. He grabbed his phone and wallet and shoved them in his back pocket, before shutting the door. He made his way to the set and saw that Armie was already there, going over his lines.

“Hey,” he said, aiming for nonchalance.

Armie smiled at him, “You ready?”

“I don’t know man, I’m a little nervous.”

Armie huffed a laugh and a  _ me too _ and for the first time since he kissed him, Timmy felt like they could survive this, that they could move past it. He’d leave it to Armie to decide the pace of their friendship, he’d done enough, he’d take what he got and no more.

 

Six takes later, Timmy was ready to be done with this. For some reason, they just couldn’t get it right. By the fourth take they were pretty tipsy and Timmy thought they did alright, but Luca wasn’t happy with how the kiss turned out.  _ The kiss of a lifetime _ . He felt like he didn’t know how to bring that to life. Two more takes later, and Luca still wasn’t happy. It was chilly, he was tipsy and it was becoming harder to keep Armie and Oliver separate.

He reached for Armie, and tried to kiss him but their coordination was off and Armie moved his face away. Timmy punched the wall, trying to convey Elio’s frustration, when Luca yelled “Cut!” again.

“Timmy, that’s not what we’re going for, Armie, don’t move away. It needs to be more organic,” Luca insisted, both hands on his waist. Timmy leaned against the wall and dragged his back down to sit on the floor and dipped his head between his knees. He didn’t know what to do, this was all his fault, he had managed to undo everything they’d achieved in the last few weeks, all because he hadn’t thought things through.

“Can we take five? I want to go over a few things with Timmy.” 

He heard Armie walk towards him and looked up, wondering what this was about.

“Can we talk?”

Timmy glanced at him, eyes darting over Armie’s face, trying to figure out where this was going, but all he could see was concern and it ate him up even more. He nodded, and followed Armie a little further.

“Listen Armie-”

“Can we-”

Armie huffed a laugh and waved his hand, asking him to continue.

“I just-I wanted to apologize. Obviously, I crossed a line, and um, it won’t happen again, so I’d really like it if we just-”

“Timmy, listen-”

“No just, let me get this out,” he insisted, “I’d like to go back to being friends, if that’s okay.”

He looked at Armie who was watching him with an unreadable look. Timmy swallowed nervously, “I miss hanging out with you,” he confessed.

“I’m not, Timmy, I’m not mad at you, okay? I miss hanging out with you too. But I-”

Armie stopped talking and looked over Timmy’s shoulders. He turned and realized Armie was looking at Luca tapping his wrist in a gesture that said  _ hurry up _ .

“Let’s talk after the shoot?”

“Um, yeah sure.”

“I’ll bring food over.”

Timmy acquiesced and they made their way back. He didn’t know what more there was, to talk about but he was glad they were on the same page about things, he didn’t want to fuck things up again. Maybe Armie just wanted to hang out again, he thought.

The time spent between takes, the cold and their little talk afterwards had sobered him up, so when Armie raised his eyebrows and grinned at him, he grinned back before downing another shot, face scrunching up at the burn in this throat.

“We good?”

He nodded at Armie, and gaveLuca a thumbs up, feeling a lot better about things.  _ They were going to be okay _ . Maybe not today, maybe not this week, but they’d be fine and he let the knowledge of that carry him through, hoping they’d get it right in this take.

They walked down the stairs, as Elio and Oliver, drunk and happy even as he pretended to throw up. Armie’s hand felt warm through his t-shirt and he grounded himself to the touch, while his other hand stroked through Timmy’s curls. He let himself be loose-limbed and pliant as Armie supported him, his palms cradling Timmy’s face. They stumbled towards the tunnel, his hands holding Timmy’s, not taking their eyes off of each other. Armie gave him a soft, dopey smile that he couldn’t help but return and this take felt right in a way none of the others had.

 

He leaned on Armie and backed him up against the wall. Timmy looked at him through hooded eyes and they shared a breath as Armie brought his hand up, buried his fingers in Timmy’s unruly hair before initiating the softest of kisses. Timmy kissed him back, letting Armie support his body. The kiss was soft before it turned into something more urgent as Armie cradled his neck, brushing his thumbs over Timmy’s cheekbones, as he kissed Timmy just a little deeper, a little longer, a little more insistent. 

Timmy arched into the kiss as Armie’s hands trailed down the column of his neck and he kissed back with more abandon. He understood now why Luca had plied them with alcohol, he’d never have been able to be this pliant, give  _ this much of him _ and let go the way the scene demanded. They broke apart for a second before Timmy leaned in to capture his lips and Armie wrapped one of his arms around Timmy’s shoulders, pulling him closer still, his palm trailing down Timmy’s back.

They hear Luca call cut, and pull apart. Timmy looked at Armie, his lips spit slick and his hair disheveled from when Timmy had buried his fingers. He probably looked the same. He felt oddly naked and cold for some reason, as if the temperature suddenly dropped a few degrees.  _ The kiss of a lifetime _ . He’d seen those words on the script months ago, but they’d always felt far away, nothing he had to worry about at the time. Now, having finished shooting the scene, knowing that the movie was almost over, knowing that this was coming to an end, whatever  _ this _ was, left him with a lump in his throat.

He watched from a distance as Armie spoke to Luca, who was happy with the shot and asked everyone to pack up. Everyone around him wrapped things up and he waved at them absentmindedly, as they left. He wanted to go talk to Luca but he also  _ didn’t _ because he wasn’t buzzed anymore, and all he felt was drained, like he’d used up all that he had, like he’d given everything to Elio, to Oliver, to Luca, to  _ Armie _ and he didn’t have much left. He felt strangely empty as he shot a quick text to Luca before grabbing his things and walking back. He knew Armie had said he’d come by, and if he did, he’d cross that bridge when he got to it. Right now, it felt like somewhere in Crema, he’d lost  _ Timmy _ , or at least the Timmy that left New York to come halfway across the world for this movie.

The walk to his room wasn’t too long and he exhaled sharply as he shut the door behind him. The bed looked inviting, but he was too anxious to actually sleep, so he decided on a shower, and then netflix till he felt too sleepy to continue. The shower helped with his nerves and he was decidedly less stressed when he settled in bed and hit  _ play _ on a crime show he only paid half his attention to, while scrolling through his messages.

He only got through one episode, before his stomach growled and he groaned. He absolutely did not feel like venturing out for food.  _ Armie said he’d bring food over _ , he thought and proceeded to kill that train of thought right there.  _ Armie probably wouldn’t show up. It was late, and he hadn’t come yet, he probably just forgot. Probably. _ Timmy threw on a hoodie before slipping into his slides. He might as well get takeout, he wasn’t going to sleep on an empty stomach. 

He’d just locked his room and turned around when he saw Armie walking up to him with takeout bags.

“Oh, were you...were you going somewhere? I thought we-”

Timmy thought it was unfair how crestfallen Armie looked, and how it made him feel guilty for  _ literally nothing _ .

“I was just-just grabbing food, I wasn’t sure if you’d come,” he mumbled as he opened the door to let them in.

“I said I would.”

He looked at Armie, wondering if he’d misheard the edge in his voice. Ever since they’d kissed it felt like he kept mishearing things, misreading situations, like they were out of sync. He didn’t respond to Armie, and set the table instead. 

They were quiet and while this wasn’t unusual, he also felt the silence was tense and wondered if Armie was going to say anything.

“Do you want to watch something?” he asked, not knowing what else to say.

Timmy looked at Armie and was startled when he set the food aside and turned around, looking decisive. 

“Can we talk?”

He sat on the couch and swallowed nervously before nodding. Armie followed suit and sat next to him, their sides pressed into the couch so that they faced each other. It seemed like Armie was gathering his words, so Timmy kept quiet, he still wasn’t sure what this was about. A long moment passed before Armie narrowed his eyes at him.

“What? Do I have something on me?”

“Is that my hoodie?”

“What? N-”

He was about to deny it when his eyes fell on what he was wearing.  _ Oh shit. Fuck _ . He couldn’t believe that not only had he forgotten to give Armie his hoodie back, but also that he’d somehow managed to  _ wear it in front of him _ . While he was probably here to ask him to back off with his feelings. _ Great. Just, fucking great, _ he thought as his face flushed with embarrassment.

“I’m sorry, I guess I just forgot to give it back to you? And I didn’t notice? I-I’ll give it back. Once I wash it, I mean,” he finished lamely, cringing internally. This couldn’t get any worse. Armie didn’t say anything and he felt his nerves kick in as the silence stretched between them.

“Listen, Armie I’m-I’m sorry, okay? I’m just going to say it. I have feelings for you. I’m sorry, I know you don’t feel the same way and I appreciate everything you’ve done for me and I value our friendship so, I really just wanna move past this? And go back to being friends? If you want to, I mean” he said, playing with his fingers in a nervous gesture.

“No.”

Timmy looked up at him, hurt, only to find Armie smiling softly as he shifted closer to him.

“I don’t want to go back to being friends with you,” Armie said.

“No?” and he didn’t know why his voice was slightly hoarse but Armie was still smiling at him, like they were the only ones in on a joke, except Timmy didn’t dare to assume anything this time.

“No. I have these  _ feelings _ for you,” he teased, wrinkling his nose at feelings and  _ oh god _ Timmy was going to die, because he wasn’t equipped to handle this. Having feelings was one thing, but to have them reciprocated? He’d never thought that would happen, not in a million years. He could feel himself smiling back like a total dork, but it didn’t matter, because Armie was smiling too, and leaning in, and cupping his face and-

“Can I kiss you?”

_ And oh _ . “Yes, please,” he joked, recalling his lines.

“I can’t believe you just-”

Timmy swallowed the rest of his words with a kiss and he thought he’d be used to this, to kissing Armie because they’d already done it. Armie was still Armie, with the same slightly chapped lips, and warm hands that left pockets of heat wherever they touched him. But kissing Armie as  _ Armie _ and not Oliver was new. Armie kissed like he did everything else, softly, and with the kind of focus that left him breathless and wanting more. His hands found purchase in Armie’s hair, as he shifted closer to Armie. He tugged at Armie’s hair softly making him lean into Timmy and  _ oh he liked that _ , he thought.

He pulled back when his stomach growled, and his heart felt like it was going to beat right out of his chest as he looked at Armie.

“I guess I did promise you dinner,” Armie said, huffing a laugh. He held out his hand and Timmy took it, getting up and following Armie towards the table. They heat the food in the microwave and it felt different. Different in the way it felt more deliberate when Armie touched him casually, different in the way Timmy had no self control and kissed him twice already, different when Timmy slipped his freezing feet between Armie’s and found himself pressed against Armie’s side as they ate dinner, different when Timmy realized he was allowed to pause the movie and kiss him senseless. 

They only made it through half the movie when Armie nodded off, his head against Timmy’s shoulder, one arm draped across Timmy and Timmy couldn’t help but smile fondly, because it was different, but it was also the  _ same _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a kudos/comment if you liked it, thanks for sticking with me and with this fic! I'm probably going to write an AU next, but nothing multi-chaptered because I've learnt my lesson lmao. Anyway, come hang with me on [tumblr](http://www.hammer-chalamet.tumblr.com) <3

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment/kudos, feedback is appreciated. Find me on tumblr at adhoori.tumblr.com and flail with me about these fools <3


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